Evaluating the Correlation Between Dental Caries and Oral Microflora- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: In contrast to controls or other interventions, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analyses was to ascertain whether the oral microflora and associated oral microbiology had a direct or indirect link with the occurrence of dental caries.

Methodology: 103 papers—54 of which underwent in-depth evaluation—were discovered after a thorough analysis of the literature found in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane library databases using the PRISMA framework. Before shortlisting 8 papers that complied with the review's parameters, we selected research that was appropriate for our review using inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Results: As compared to the controls and other interventions, the diversity present in the oral cavity in terms of microbial species had a noticeable impact on the incidence of dental caries, although some studies did not report any significant correlation between the two.

Conclusion: By the observations of the meta-analysis, it seems the incidence of dental caries is correlated to the various microbial taxa observed in the oral cavity, but it also has to be mentioned that more investigations are needed in this regard so as to establish this relationship concretely.